firebug

English

A colony of firebugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus) on a tree stump

Etymology

    From fire + bug.

    Pronunciation

    • Audio (Australia):(file)

    Noun

    firebug (plural firebugs)

    1. Pyrrhocoris apterus, a common red and black insect, that is the type species of the family Pyrrhocoridae.
    2. (slang) A pyromaniac or arsonist.
      • 2024 August 9, Gabriella Bass, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon and Joe Marino, “Firebug accused of torching NYC building, injuring 9 is freed without bail, back in neighborhood”, in New York Post‎[1], New York, N.Y.: News Corp, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 July 2025:
        But the firebug allegedly ran back inside yelling before he finally took off.
      • 2025 January 12, Jared Downing, “TikToker captures careless idiots releasing lantern balloons on Southern California beach as LA burns: ‘ Do you even know what’s happening?’”, in New York Post‎[2], New York, N.Y.: News Corp, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 January 2026:
        In the video, she can be heard explaining to the firebugs that she has been working with victims of the wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate.

    Translations

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